we were sent there to do what was hard. we were sent there to take on the tough issues. we were sent there to solve the big challenges, and that's why we're there. and at this moment, at this moment we are being called upon to fulfill our duty to the citizens of this nation and to future generations. so i'll be honest with you, i don't know how passing health care will play politically, but i do know that it's the right thing to do. it's right for our families. it's right for our businesses. it's right for the united states of america. and if you share that belief, i want you to stand with me and fight with me and i ask you to help get us over the finish line

these next two weeks. the need is great. the opportunity is here. let's seize reform. it's within our grasp. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. well, an enthusiastic crowd out there at arcadia university in glenside, pennsylvania, today for a big speech by the president on health care reform, making the argument right now directly to the people that health care is the right thing to do even if republicans are painting it as politically unpopular. nbc's ron allen is just outside where the president is right now there in glenside, pennsylvania. this is the first time in a long time, ron, we have seen the president talking solely about health care. his whole ing today to this crowd was to sell health care. >> reporter: indeed, contessa. the last event was sikts months ago.

i think what he was trying to do is break this down into human, very personal terms that people can understand. he also spoke with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. this felt like a campaign stop a year ago when candidate obama was out and so successful as a communicator. you know the white house has been criticized for not seizing the narrative in this health care debate. he tried to make it personal by targeting the insurance companies as well, saying they've been raising premiums, dropping people from coverage, denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. that resonates with people in places like this who have experienced that. the problem is that president obama is trying to move this through a reluctant congress that involves key members of his own party. so while there's populism out here, the question remains whether he can still get enough votes even within his own party and congress to get this health care bill over the finish line. it's a big complicated thing. the white house has been trying to really break it down into manageable, understandable components so that people will

agree with some aspect of the program. the polls show there is modest support for health care reform. but the polls also show that there is support for various elements of it. what the president was doing was a very populous message. he was really taking on washington. it was very interesting in the beginning, he talked about the pundits, the polls, the politicians talking about the next election in november. he tried to dismiss all that and say essentially this is about the people, it's not about the politicians. it's us against washington. we'll see how i plays. >> okay. ron, the big question at this point, the democrats who have been reluctant to support health care have done so on the basis of two really big reasons. one, cost, and two, abortion. has there been any revision of the plan to appeal more to those doubtful, skeptical democrats? >> reporter: there have been some revisions. there's talk of compromises. that's an ongoing process. whether they have put specific language in the bills or in the

process that will satisfy the critics of this, i think that remains to be seen. the process is very complicated. and it relies on some trust from the lower house, the house of representatives trusting the senate to do some things later. again, the president is trying to get past all the complications of this because i think most people simply don't understand the process and they don't understand how this will affect them. so again, the process continues. the president is trying to make it simple. whether he has the votes on the hill or not i think le mains to be seen. two-week deadline, a hard push. he's had different groups of reluctant congressmen from his own party to the white house. that process will possibly continue as we go through the next couple weeks. there's another event like this in st. louis where the president will try to again take his message direct tloi the people, talking over the politicians. ultimately he's hoping people in places like this will press sure their representatives in congress to vote for health care reform finally. >> we'll be watching for that

and see whether the st. louis crowd can watch this pennsylvania crowd in terms of how voc they were. almost as though the president was leading a revival meeting with so much feedback from the audience. ron allen, thank you for the fine reporting out there. developing right now. we're learning a date has been set for casey anthony's murder trial. expect it to begin on may 9, 2011. the 23-year-old is charged with first degree mr der in the death of her daughter caylee. casey anthony claims she's innocent. new this hour, the u.s. supreme court will consider whether protests at funerals are protected free speech. those protests are especially controversial when demonstrators target funerals of service members killed in afghanistan. a kansas man makes a habit at showing up at military funerals to protest is what he says is allowing gays to serve in the military. interpol is issuing alerts for 16 more suspects believed to

be linked to the killing of a hamas leader in dubai. investigators will help hunt down all 27 individuals suspected of helping. a manhunt is under way for four robbers who pulled off a brazen highs live on television. this could have been a plot line for an "oceans 11" type film. apparently these guys broke into a poker championship in berlin, germany, stole jackpot. but police say they nearly bungled it repeatedly. they did, however, get away. so nbc's michelle kosinski following the search from london. set the scene for us. how did this take place. >> hi, contessa. what you're seeing is the poker room floor as it was being broadcast live. it sort of looks more like a plot to a cartoon. this is the kind of thing that

if someone suggested it to you, you'd either say that is ridiculous or perhaps it's so ridiculous it just might work. what's so shocking here is that it did work somehow. these four armed men reportedly carrying guns, grenades? one report, am though police won't confirm that and machetes burst into this poker tournament that had attracted 1,000 players. it was billed as the biggest tournament in germany with a jackpot of a million euros. they sent everybody into a panic. in running around, yelling, have security guards throwing furniture, they managed to get away with several bags of money totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars. they disappeared in the street. this isn't the busiest square in berlin. middle of the day. got away in a get-away car. police say they don't have any hot leads and using what evidence they have to try to

cash these guys. when you hear they got away with this, it's mind-boggling to people who hear about it. >> do they think the guys are dangerous? if they came in with all these weapons? is there a potential for public safety problems? >> they haven't said anything about that. obviously this was targeteded to that big cash payout that was advertised so well, maybe too well. there was some speculation in one of the german newspapers that maybe this is connected to another brazen highs that happened not too long ago at an auction in a berlin courthouse. that gang also made off with more than a hundred thousand dollars worth of cash. no real connection that police are saying. they won't say how much money exactly they got away with it orr what weapons they were carrying, that sort of thing. just that they did it. and they took off in brought daylight as everyone likes to say, in the middle of berlin. >> i imagine it's kind of hard to maintain a poker face with that going on in the background.

>> yeah. that's been our joke. an incredible 62% of iraq voters turned out to pick new leaders. the turnout is particularly amazing because opposition targeted polling places with deadly bombings. 36 people were killed in the lead-up to the election. we'll have report from nbc's richard engel in a few minutes. the taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a police intelligence unit in lahore, pakistan. at least 13 people were killed and dozens injured. our nbc news producer on the scene says more than 1300 pounds of explosives were used. this story breaking on the news wires. pakistani officials say a u.s. missile strike killed at least three people. that strike reportedly happened in the main town in northern was sooer stan area of pakistan. the identities of the dead have not been made clear. the pakistani government is now saying it doesn't have an american born al qaeda leader in

custody. yesterday they thought they arrested adam gadahn, a california man who was one of the fbi's most wanted terrorism suspects. he's been a thorn in the united states side since appearing in videos in 2004. a california court labeled him a traitor. pete williams is on the phone with me now. if not gadahn, do we know who this guy is? >> it's not even clear it's an american. american officials were very skeptical yesterday, and now the pakistani authorities have conceded that they were mistaken in saying it was him. they've gone on to say, however, it is an american. there's no evidence that that's the case. the u.s. embassy there hasn't confirmed it. american officials here also say they're not certain about it either. it's a disappointment that it's not adam gadahn. as you say he's been charged with terrorism, a high-value person that american authorities hoped would know a lot about what al qaeda is up to these days.

they'll have to wait to another time, it would appear, if he's going to be arrest sgld given the fact they don't know who it is, is it clear what kind of valuable information he may or may not have? >> no, it's not. it does seem to be pretty low level. the fact that there isn't a clear idea here in the u.s. of who it is would certainly lead to the idea that it's not a person of great high value. >> pete, thank you. midday for the markets, world markets are actually high tore day because investors are optimistic about the u.s. economy recovering. let's take a look at the markets right now. moving the markets, you can see the dow jones is off by 14.5. the s&p is flat and the nasdaq up three points. a new round of mergers and acquisitions and good news from mcdonald's. job seekers are facing another hurdle. a new survey shows 60% of employers are running credit, checks on applicants in an effort to find out about a potential employee's honesty and sense of responsibility. that makes it tough if you've

been out of a job, you might have encountered credit issues. lawmakers in at least 16 states are looking to ban that practice of employers running credit checks. old debts are about to come back to bite hundreds of thousands of senior citizens and the disabled. a new law is about to end the 10-year statute of limitations that prevented the government from withholding social security benefits from people who defaulted on government loans. so now when this law takes effect, the government can keep 15% of social security checks until that debt is paid off. that's expected to amount to another $10 million a year for the treasury. coming up, more trouble for pittsburgh steelers quarterback ben roethlisberger. we'll tell yoe you why he hired a prominent defense attorney. 50% of schools in two states might have to shut their doors in order to close a budget gap. we'll have the details ahead in "far and wide." s more.

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we have breaking news coming to us from dallas right now. it looks like multiple people have been shot inside a bank there. first reported shortly before 11:00 a.m. local time at the united texas bank on merit drive. it's in an 18-storely building next to the medical city dallas hospital out there. now it appears that the building where this bank is located is on lockdown again because multiple people are shot. that's the very sketchy detail coming to us. we have no idea whether that means three or more. we have no idea what their conditions might be. this is a bank that is just off of the lyndon b. johnson freeway here, 75, in dallas. again, the name of the bank is called the united texas bank. we're looking for more information.

we have news crews headed there. as soon as we find out more, we'll pass that along to you. taking a look at stories far and wide, we begin in kansas city, missouri, where a budget crisis may force 50% of public schools to close their doors. one proposal submitted to the school board calls closing 29 out of 61 schools to eliminate a projected $50 million budget shortfall. the plan also calls for cutting 700 of the district's 3,000 jobs including hundreds of teachers. the school board vote is wednesday. los angeles police arrested a 35-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl he met on my space. police fear there may be more victims. officials say samuel francisco has been communicating with the 13-year-old girl on the social networking site, accuse $of picking her up from school, taking her to a home where he sexually assaulted her. after the girl's mom contacted police, officials were able to find francisco and rescue the

girl. police warn other children may be victims of the accused online predator and reminding parents to be vij lent of their kid's activities when online. in boulder, colorado, dozens of parents are signing petitions. some parents protested yesterday. at sunday mass the priest said this decision was the most difficult in his life. he said he was just implementing policy. archdiocese officials say they refuse to readmit a preschooler because his parents' homosexual relationship goes against school beliefs and policy. some parents are threatening to pull their own kids out of school because of that decision. a woman certified as the oldest person living in the united states and the second oldest person in the world has now passed away. she lived in westmoreland, new hampshire. she was born in canada, may 17,

1895. she died at her nursing home at 114 years old and 294 days. her granddaughter katherine says mary enjoyed life, never thought of dieing at all and was planning for her next birthday party. in dallas, breaking news, multiple people shot inside a dallas bank. we're getting our first live pictures. police on the scene. reportedly this is a building in lockdown. the bank is located inside an 18-story building off merit drive near coit road off 75 in dallas. apparently it's next to the medical city dallas hospital. we don't know in what shape the people are, the victims inside this bank who have been shot. we have no idea how many there are. the report is that multiple people have been shot inside this dallas bank. and it looks like this happened just before -- just probably 20, 30 minutes ago inside this big

bank there in dallas, texas. there you're seeing the location of it. that's the building we're looking at. outside, police as you might imagine, guarding the exits and entrances of this building which we're told is on lockdown and likely to affect a lot of people. an 18-storply building. the bank located inside, the united texas bank on merit drive. the report we have is that multiple people have been shot. we have no idea whether the gunman have escaped in this case, whether they're still inside. you're seeing kxas shopper and showing the outside of this building on what looks to be a rainy day there in dallas, texas. the report that we're getting in, multiple people shot inside a dallas bank, just reported before 11:00 a.m. central time at this bank on merit drive. this is the bank that a lot of people might know because it's next to the city dallas hospital there, the medical city dallas

hospital. and we're waiting for word on what the conditions for the folks inside might be, those who have been shot. we're told it's multiple. we'll continue to follow this story, looking for new details. as soon as i get them, i'll certainly pass them along. police say they have identified the skeletal remains found near san diego. investigators say the bones belong to 14-year-old amber due boy. she disappeared more than a year ago. the search for her intensified after the murder of chelsea king in that same area last week. nbc's janet sham shamlian joins us. a lot of questions. both young girls and the way these cases developed was so different. >> that's right. and i think you're refering to the fact that the case of chelsea king who disappeared about ten days ago now got so much immediate press attention, and her body, sadly, was found within a week's time. amber dubois went missing a year

ago february. it's been 13 months, and her body, as you reported, was found on saturday, not far from her home, but in a remote and wooded area. the question many people have now is john gardner, the man being held in connection with chelsea king's death also responsible for the death of dubois. gardner is a convicted sex offender, has a 2000 conviction. he served only five years. despite warnings by a court psychiatrist that's tha he will continue to be a danger to young girls in the community. authorities have not said whether there's any information whatsoever linking the amber dubois death to john gardner. they haven't said either whether gardner admitted where amber's remains were found, only that new information came across in the last few days and they found her on saturday. this has raised a lot of concern in the san diego area. people are very angry there that they've had these two missing girls found dead and they're concerned about the laws regulating sexual offenders,

their freedoms and what they can do for their part, the king family has said that they will push for stronger laws. as far as amber dubois is concerned, a memorial service will be held this evening. >> that poor family after so long to find out that devastating news. thank you very much. back to breaking news in dallas, texas where kxas has an overhead shot of the united texas bank where multiple people have been shot inside. this is an 18-storely building now on lockdown. investigators are on scene. we're looking for mover information about exactly how many people have been shot. but -- and one of the reports i have here that has not been con fifrmd by officials is that it looks like that is there is someone, perhaps the gunman in this case believed to have been killed. again, the building is on lockdown. we're looking to confirm the report that the gunman in this case is dead.

again, that's not official. we have not been able to confirm that. the shooting was first reported about half hour ago at this bank next to a large hospital in the area. again, we're hearing this building you're seeing now is on lockdown. you can see there are law enforce. officers outside now reporting multiple people shot. i haven't seen any ambulances or medical crews outside. they may have all been escorted in at this point already. keeping our eye on it. as soon as i get new details, we'll pass those along here. quick break. we'll be right back. can paperless billing get me paid faster? how can i keep my best employees? how can i bring down my insurance costs? and while at american express open we may not have all the answers, we know who does. other owners. that's why we're helping business owners connect. together, we're building a community for them to talk, share and help each other. a place called openforum.com

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you can label as "different." like janice. uh-huh. yeah. fashion deficient. and tom... copy incapable. it's open kimono time. looking good, dan. oh, we want to make sure all our ducks in a row. yeah. volume control syndrome. but we focus on the talent and skill that each person... brings to the team. i mean, no one's really concerned about labels. not even mine. labels get in the way. disabilities rarely do. visit thinkbeyondthelabel.com to evolve your work force. so i was surprised when my doctor told me i still had high cholesterol. that really hit me, and got me thinking about my health. i knew i had to get my cholesterol under control. but exercise and eating healthy weren't enough for me. now i trust my heart to lipitor. [ male announcer ] when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39 to 60%. lipitor is backed by over 17 years of research.

lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. i thought i was doing enough to lower my cholesterol, but i needed more help. what are you doing about yours? [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your cholesterol. and about lipitor. welcome back. i'm contessa brewer. following breaking news out of dallas, texas. our nbc station, kxas on the scene of a bank shooting there in dallas right on merit drive. apparently this is a bank where somebody walked in, opened fire. now we're told multiple people shot. the bank itself which

encompasses an 18-story building is apparently on lockdown as police are investigating. but the details slow to come in at this point. we don't know specifically the number of victims we have here or their conditions. as soon as we find out and get confirmation on what's happened to the gunman in this case, we'll pass that along. we're just getting word that georgia police will hold a news conference later today, 4:00 p.m. eastern time on ben roethlisberger. for the second time in as many years, the pittsburgh steelers quarterback is being investigated in an accusation of sexual assault. the latest accusation stems from a reported incident at a georgia nightclub late last thursday. it comes as the nfl star's lawyers are fighting an almost half million dollar civil suit from a woman who claims she was raped by the quarterback in 2008. steven a. smith writes about sports for the philadelphia inquirer and joins me now. is ben roethlisberger a problem

or a target? >> he's both. the steelers were known as being a franchise with a pristine image, didn't get into any trouble, certainly nothing of this magnitude. at the same time he is a big target because he's a two-time super bowl championship quarterback. he's definitely a target because there's riches and fame. in the year 2008 he was paid $27.7 million. over the next few years he's going to average about $11.5 million in salary. people know that and as a result of that and him being a high profile star in the nfl, you definitely have to surmise that he is definitely a target. >> i mentioned the reno, nevada, woman who filed a half million dollar civil suit claiming she was raped by roethlisberger in 2008. this latest accusation comes from a college student at a georgia nightclub late thursday. they say -- bliss say the nflñi star and his 20-year-old accuser went to several nightclubs before the attack. her claim was that she was sexually assaulted or sexually manipulated by this guy. if you're a big -- at this point

there's no charges filed. it's kind of hard to know where to go on this. is he held to a higher standard of behavior? >> not necessarily a higher standard of behavior. you've got to watch yourself, monitor yourself because you're in the public eye and you're under an exorbitant level of scrutiny. the fact is when you take the civil case in nevada, there was a witness that came out that said that woman was bragging about having consensual sex with ben roethlisberger. certainly there are no criminal charges with regard to that. still an investigation on going right now. again, no criminal charges. the probable with ben roethlisberger is again you're talking about the image of the nfl. roger goodell, the commissioner of the nfl has stepped in and suspend guys guilt or no guilt simply for staining the league in an image capacity. >> we're not in football season right now. >> it doesn't matter. there were cincinnati bengals that weren't in football season, but when they got in trouble, had to deal with the commissioner. >> are you going to see that

here? >> if the commissioner wants to be consistent in terms of bringing down disciplinary action, then clearly you can expect him to at least speak on this issue, if not act on the issue simply from the standpoint of addressing the league's image. whether ben roethlisberger is guilty or not is for the police to decide and the criminal courts to decide. clearly in the court of public opinion, the question has to be asked why will you finding yourself in these situations. it's certainly something that commissioner roger goodell would ask. >> steven, good to have you with us. appreciate that. a dutch journalist puts airport security on a test on a flight from amsterdam to united states. you won't believe what he got through with. a ceo apologizing for comparing the first lady to a former tv star, and it's not an attractive comparison. we'll be right back. the smell of shaving cream. whatever scents fill your household,

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us from dallas, texas, where there has been a shooting inside a bank building here, the united

texas banninging. in fact, a woman who works in the building say they have been told to stay inside, lock all the doors, stay away from those glass windows. so this is an 18-story building now in lockdown in dallas, texas. the report we have is that multiple people have been shot inside this building, though we're not sure whether it's an actual bank itself or on another office floor of this building. the police are on the scene and we're looking for more information about whether a gunman in this case is there, captured, and whether -- the condition of that person. at this point we don't have any update in terms of the condition of the victims that have been shot inside this particular building. with me now is former fbi profiler, hostage negotiator and msnbc analyst clint van sanlt. what's priority number one when going into a building of this size where there's a reporting

of a shoot sng. >> they have a real challenge. we don't know if this is incidence of violence in a workplace, where someone has come into his workplace or again someone he knew or if it could have been an actual bank robbery in progress that has taken place. what we do know is at least five ambulances have been dispatched to the scene. and in a situation like this, realize that it only took place 30 minutes ago. you're going to have the dallas police, the fbi, the local sheriff's office, the texas rangers. there's going to be a tremendous amount of investigative and law enforcement assets pouring into this area. they've got multiple responsibilities. number one, of course, is to secure the area. >> clint, hold that thought for one second. with me right now on the phone is lieutenant andrew harvey, the public information officer for the dallas police. i understand you're on the scene. >> go ahead, ma'am. >> can you give me the details of what you're looking at? >> actually we're here at the

building. this is what we know. we have an officer who received a call of an active shooter inside the building that responded up on the third floor. when they got there, they heard shots fired. here is what we have right now. we have two males, one 40 and one 50-ish that have been shot. the shooter has been shot as well. police responded when they went up to the third floor. there were gunshots exchanged. and we believe the shooter was shot. we don't know if it was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or not. they're all at the hospital now. i know the other two are going to be okay. the shooter is in critical been. that's where we're at right now. we're investigating to see what happened, what occurred. we understand this is a financial office and that the suspect knew both of the victims which are father and son. >> okay. so the two men you have, the man in his 40s and man in the 50s, they're father and son, the

victims? >> right. one is age 39, the other one late 50s. they are father and son. both were shot. they appear to be in stable condition -- let me say they work for the financial office. i don't have the name of it right now. >> lieutenant, the floor where this happened is not a commercial bank where people would go in and put in deposits and things like that, this is an office? >> i think part of it is. in these buildings, several other floors belong to who whoever is leasing them out. in this case we believe it's a financial office of some type. we believe the suspect was a customer and knew both of the victims. >> okay. you broke up just a little bit when you were describing the condition of the suspected gunman. >> right. he is in critical condition. he was shot. don't know if it was police related or self-inflicted gunshot wound. he is in very critical condition. like i said, the good thing is that the other victims appear to be in stable condition.

and they're all at the hospital now. and we are investigating. >> okay. is the building still on lockdown right now, lieutenant harvey? >> you're breaking up and i'm in very bad weather. i'm not sure if it's me or you. >> is the building still in lockdown? >> the building is in lockdown because we want to make sure we have everything covered. but everybody is safe. everybody else is safe in there. the incident took place only on the third floor. this was not a random act. it was appear to be targeted because the suspect knew both of the victims. >> lieutenant harvey, i know you're busy. i appreciate your time setting this straight. here is what we have coming to us from dallas, texas. inside the third floor of this big building, the united texas bank. apparently a gunman went in, opened fire, two victims who were shot, a guy who is 39 and a dad in his late 50s. police arrived on the scene,

apparently were called and exchanged gunfire with the suspect. we're told the suspect himself was shot. they don't know whether police shot him or he shot himself. at any rate, he's in crate cal condition at this point. the two victims are stable. their conditions are stable. lieutenant harvey saying he believes the victims are going to be okay. it looks like a case of the gunman going into this office building knowing his victims and opening fire there. we'll stay on top of it. if we learn more as the investigation develops. we'll take a quick break here. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] as long as we're winding up our doing dials, let's wind 'em with precision. open our throttle to even more selection. and turn that savings swagger up full tilt. ♪ so when the time comes to bust open a can of doing... we've got all the tools for all the things we need to make 'em happen.

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dvds at a young age scored lower on vocabulary tests. back to the breaking news now that we're following. this bank is in lockdown. two people shot, a father and his grown son, in the hospital now. and the suspected gunman in critical condition. police say they believe he knew his victims when he went into the third floor of this office building and opened fire. these were shots that rang out through the building. and so this building was put on lockdown. in fact, the report we're getting from eyewitnesss that some of the customers and employees were actually locked inside the bank's vault when this shooting erupted there at the united texas bank building. we're keeping our eye on this. the building remains in lockdown now while police are investigating. a contentious gop fund-raising pitch is hitting republicans where it hurts n the wallet. one big donor says he's not going to contribute after it was revealed the republican national committee used these pictures to

mock president obama and the democrats. it happened at a fund-raising event in florida last month. mark demass was on msnbc this morning explaining why he's closing his checkbook. >> one thing i'd like to see is more people standing up and calling for civility in our public discourse, in our national debate. i'm a conservative republican. i would take issue with president obama's policies almost across the board. but i don't think he's the anti christ. i don't think he's the joker. >> and conservatives are taking aim at another one of their own. liz cheney. they're upset with an ad from her group, keep america safe. that ard brands justice department attorneys as terrorist sympathizers because in the past they were worked defending suspected guantanamo detainees. >> tell eric holder americans have the right to know the identity of the al qaeda seven. >> today a group of lawyers and policy experts including former

top bush administration officials put out a statement calling the ad a shameful series of attacks. politico's andy barr joins me now. this was the one ad -- the straw that broke the camel's back. >> talking anti the liz cheney add. it was the one thing they put out, she's been kind of rebuked by a lot of former bush people and people who worked at the department of justice saying it's totally out of bounds. at the same time, though, you know the white house, "the washington post" was reporting and others reporting they're moving towards putting khalid shaikh mohammed in a military tray bunl. maybe she's moving the needle on that. >> the lawyers respond, to suggest the justice department should not employ talented lawyers who have advocated on behalf of detaineetion, mall lines the patriotism of people who have taken honourable positions on contested questions and demands a uniformity of background and view in government service from which no

administration would benefit. this is like suggesting that people who defend criminals pro bono are somehow tainted by those criminals'çó crimes themselves. >> that's exactly what it's like. we have ted olson and others telling us that today. i think a lot of folks who worked in government sectors, lawyers who have worked at top levels of the former bush administration, both bush administrations actually, sitting there thinking, what is going on? what is she doing? at the same time, though, liz cheney -- >> but they released identities. then the justice department complied with the strong arm tactic. >> that's right. that's as much on the justice department as anything else. the folks we were talking to, taking more issues with the tactics liz cheney used along with what she's trying to achieve there. >> andy, good to see you, thank you. democrat eric massa is resigning his congressional seat this afternoon. 5:00 p.m. is supposed to be his

official announcement. yesterday he told a radio station that the ethics investigation was linked to sexually charged comments he made at a new year's eve wedding. >> a staff member made an intoe nation to me that maybe i should be chasing after the brides maid. the points were clear and his words were far more colorful than that. i grabbed the staff member sitting next to me and said, well, what i really out to be doing is fracking you ands toaled the guys's hair and left. >> massa spent an hour and a half on the radio trying to explain the allegations. at one point he said he thought they were related to his fund-raising, pointing the fingers at fundraisers. >> sten any hoyer has never said a single word to me at all, ever, not once. not a word. this is a lie. it's a blatant false statement. with the departure of congressman neal abercrombie running for the governorship of hawaii wand the tragic and sad

passing of my personal good friend jack murtha, mine is now the deciding vote on the health care bill. this administration and this house leadership have said, quote, unquote, they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill. and now they've gotten rid of me and it will pass. >> he's basically putting the blame here on democratic leaders saying they want him out because he's opposed health care in the past. by the way, sten any hoyer claims they never claim they told massa to report the allegations to the committee. they told a staffer to do so. the man that has the power to set a replacement, none other than david paterson. under state law, paterson has to set a special election no more than 40 days after issuing a proclamation declaring the seat vacant. a new lead in the search for a california family. this is a mysterious disappearance. the entire family missing for more than a month now. we'll talk with a friend of the

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it's been more than a month since a california family of four mysteriously disappeared. police are reviewing a individual -- oh surveillance of a family crossing the u.s.-mexico border. not releasing the video yet. officials say why can't they be sure it is indeed the missing mcstay family on the tape. they know it was taken the same day the family's abandoned vehicle was found near the border, within walking distance of this area on surveillance. alex has been a friend of joseph mcstay for 20 years joins us from san diego. i know friends of the mcstays are concerned about not hearing from this family in more than a month. have you been able to see the video? >> i have. >> what did you think? could you see a resemblance between your friends and the family on this tape? >> you know, i would say at best a resemblance, but for me, nothing definitive, especially

the joey or the male figure in the video. it doesn't give me any confidence. >> i understand that investigators are trying to enhance this so that they can have a clearer shot at identifying or ruling out whether this was indeed the mcstays. but to your knowledge, do the mcstays have any reason to go voluntarily to mexico? >> not to my knowledge. you know, especially with the two kids. if that is the case, my answer would be no. as long as i've known joey -- go ahead. >> they haven't been heard from in more than a month. here you have a 40-year-old dad, his 43-year-old wife and a 3 and 4-year-old kid, a daughter and a son there. when you're among yourselves talking about what might have happened, can you come up with any theories about how all of the sudden they just vanished? >> yes, but again, it's just

like a lot of people, we're kind of just grasping into air. it's just a lot of speculation. we have our own theories, but nothing to really to justify or nothing to solidify the things that we're thinking. we're just guessing. there's not a whole lot there to suggest where, what or why. our faith is pretty much in law enforcement. we're just guessing, still guessing. >> alex, i know loved ones have put up this website devoted to searching for the family. are you getting much help from that website? >> you know, we're getting a lot of support. a lot of that is emotional. we're just keeping my hope and i think hope of joey's friends to keep the case elevated, its status in the media just so you know, law enforcement and the authorities stick with it and don't give up. i know it doesn't grab headlines because of the lack of a murder weapon or blood or drugs, and

some of the things that -- it's just a family of four missing, and i say just with no pun intended. just poof. >> we're going to stay on top of this story, too. as soon as we learn from investigators whether they can enhance this enough to clearly say yes, indeed, this is the mcstays, we'll follow up on that. alex, appreciate your time. thanks. >> my pleasure, thank you. i'm contessa brewer, i appreciate that you've spent time with me on msnbc. i'll see you back at noon eastern time tomorrow. up next andrea mitchell reports and she talks with pennsylvania governor ed rendell about the president's push for health care reform. governor rendell greeted the president this morning when president obama arrived in a philadelphia sub esh to urge congress to move quickly on a new health care -- we love getting our outback dirty.

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